Re: Living on the edge

: : : : : What is the meaning of "Living on the edge" and where one should use it?

: : : : There are discussions of this phrase in the archive (Search Box, top of previous page, type in the phrase), but you may remain confused. In reading or hearing this phrase, we are somewhat at the mercy of the speaker or writer, as this phrase has no single, universal meaning. However, think of someone living a life, voluntarily or not, in which a small change in his behavior or his fotunes will put him over the edge where he didn't want to go. Their life puts them at risk of falling off some edge, much like falling off a cliff. A dare-devil or chronic risk-taker is in danger of falling off the edge into death, injury or failure, and for such a person "living dangerously" is probably what they do. A homeless person, on the other hand, is involuntarily living on the edge of starvation. Some people under chronic stress, or with emotional problems, are living on the edge of mental breakdown or insanity.

: : : : When you hear the phrase, look for context and clues as to what is meant. And avoid using the expression yourself unless you don't mind living on the edge.

: : I failed to give sufficient weight, above, to the edge as possibly the line between one condition and another, perhaps between safety and the opposite, or between health and the opposite.

: : SS

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: Adults, they say, drive cars slow enough to feel safe; adolescents drive cars fast enough to feel dangerous. Living on the edge is a normal way of life for (among others) the young, the adrenaline junkies, and the foolish.

Nothing to do with the phrase but, a long time ago, when I was a recording engineer in London, I worked on an album by Yes called 'Close To The Edge'. At the same time I was working on another album with the band 'Come To The Edge'.